


The Emotional Rollercoaster Called Life

by directorsharpie



Category: Ocean's 8 (2018)
Genre: Debbie and Lou growing up, F/F, Fluff, TRIGGER WARNING: child abuse/abuse, also angst, also death, debbie and lou as kids, im sorry in advance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-23 17:19:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15611175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/directorsharpie/pseuds/directorsharpie
Summary: “I'll be your friend," the brunette said and the other girl finally smiled and it was a real smile, not the tight-lipped one she showed earlier. Debbie jumped off of the swing and grabbed the girls hand, "I'm Deborah but I prefer to be called Debbie because that's what my brother calls me.""I'm Lou”





	The Emotional Rollercoaster Called Life

When Lou and Debbie meet for the first time it's a cold day in the middle of November, Danny had taken the brunette to the park so that she wouldn't get in the way of their father and his friends. Danny promised their mother that he wouldn't let Debbie out of his sight, and he kept that promise until one of his friends showed up at the park; that's when Debbie saw her opportunity to sneak away. She ran back into the park and played on the monkey bars for a while until she noticed a gangly blonde girl sat alone on the swings. Except she wasn't swinging she was sat staring down at her feet. 

"Hello," Debbie said, with a tight-lipped smile on her face. 

The blonde girl looked up at her and smiled back, but then went right back to staring at her feet. Debbie frowned and sat on the swing next to the girl, but her attention was still on her feet kicking the dirt around. 

"Why are you alone? Where are your friends?" Debbie asked and the girl finally looked at her for longer than three seconds. Her eyes were bright blue and Debbie thought they looked like the pretty blue lake near her house, that alone made her want to be friends with the girl who still hadn't spoken to her. 

"I'm alone a lot, I don't have any friends we just moved here," the girl explained and her Australian accent took Debbie by surprise because she had never heard one in real life, the only time she had heard an accent other than American was on TV; to say she was excited was an understatement. 

"You're not alone anymore, I'll be your friend," the brunette said and the other girl finally smiled and it was a real smile, not the tight-lipped one she showed earlier. Debbie jumped off of the swing and grabbed the girls hand, "I'm Deborah but I prefer to be called Debbie because that's what my brother calls me."

"I'm Lou," the blonde said and Debbie simply smiled and carried on leading her towards a group of boys sat under a tree. Lou was a little scared because the boys were a lot older than her and she didn't know them if her mom saw her outside of the playground she would get into big trouble. She quickly glanced over her shoulder to see that her mother wasn't even paying attention to where Lou was, instead she was sat on a bench with a cigarette between her lips and talking obnoxiously loud on the phone. 

"Danny I made a friend!" Debbie exclaimed, but none of the boys acknowledged their presence so Debbie tapped one of the boys on the shoulder to get his attention, a boy with dark brown hair and dark eyes; he and Debbie looked very alike. 

"That's cool kid, go play over there," he pointed towards the playground, Debbie frowned at his lack of interest and walked away. Debbie absolutely adored her brother, but he didn’t feel the same way about Debbie. That’s probably because he never had a choice to hang out with her, he was always forced to take her out so that she wouldn’t disrupt anything in the house. The large age gap didn’t help either, he was a fifteen year old boy and she was a 6 year old girl, they didn’t exactly have the same interests; but Debbie tried her best to get her brothers attention although it almost never worked. 

Debbie and Lou carried on playing on the swings, having a competition to see who could swing the highest. Lou won every time, it turns out Debbie is afraid of heights so she didn’t really like the competition but it made her new friend happy so she did it anyway. They played for what felt like forever, in reality it was only an hour and then Lou’s mother was calling her name and she had to leave. 

The next week Debbie made Danny take her to the park everyday on their way home from school to see if her Australian friend was there; she never was. The pair didn’t see each other for a couple of weeks until she showed up in Debbie’s classroom one day with a bright blue backpack slung over her shoulder. As soon as she saw the blonde girl in the corner she ran over and hugged her, she felt the girl tense up at the unexpected contact but quickly relaxed when she saw who it was. 

The two of them quickly became best friends, they did everything together. Danny jokes that they’re joint at the hip, but Debbie doesn’t understand that because they’re not joined together. Lou spends more time over at the Ocean household than she does in her own home. Not that her mom cares she prefers it because she’s able to do what she wants. When they went to middle school Lou was given her own key to the apartment because her mom wasn’t around as much any more, she was always out doing god knows what and always came home early hours of the morning. 

Despite the lack of her moms presence Lou enjoyed middle school because her and Debbie grew closer, if that was even possible. They told each other anything and everything, they had regular sleepovers every Friday night, switching who’s house they stayed at each week. Neither of them had any other friends, they only had each other and that’s how they liked it. 

It was a Friday night and the week they were staying over at Lou’s apartment, they usually preferred it because the house was always empty and they could eat as much junk food as they liked, without any one to tell them no. However, this particular Friday Lou’s mom came home early and saw the candy wrappers all over the coffee table. 

“Louise!” The woman yelled and Lou’s eyes went wide because the use of her full name meant she was in trouble. She jumped up from her bed, where her and Debbie sat telling each other ‘scary’ stories, and ran out into the living room where her mom was stood staring at the mess. Debbie remained in her position on the bed until she heard Lou’s mom yelling at her, her words came out slurred and Debbie knew that she had been drinking. She peaked through the slightly opened bedroom door to see what was happening. As soon as she looked through the gap she saw the woman’s hand come into contact with Lou’s face, and then her arm, and then her right shoulder blade. 

Debbie scurried back to the bed when she saw Lou walking back towards her bedroom, she tried to act natural but when she saw the distant look on Lou’s face she instantly wrapped her arms around the girl. She tensed up at the contact, just like she did on her first day of school, but immediately relaxed into Debbie’s embrace. Tears were falling down her face and the two just sat in silence, mainly because Debbie had never found herself in a situation like this before so she didn’t know what to say. But also because no words were needed her presence alone was enough for the blonde girl. 

After an hour Lou calmed down and the two just laid out on the bed. Debbie couldn’t settle, she was scared of Lou’s mom and wanted to go home but there was no way she was leaving her best friend alone with the woman. 

“We should go to my house and get away from her,” Debbie whispered because she didn’t want the woman to hear her. Lou nodded her head in agreement, she got up from the bed and put somethings into her backpack. 

“How are we gonna get there, it’s a little late to walk isn’t it?” Lou asked and Debbie nodded, she pressed her lips together while she thought of a plan. 

“We could call Danny he has a car and I’m sure he would take us,” Debbie suggested and Lou immediately nodded her head. She poked her head through the door to see where her mom was, unsurprisingly she was passed out on the couch with a bottle of beer in one hand and the other dangling over the edge of the couch. She quickly but quietly walked out into kitchen to grab the phone, and ran back into her room with it in her hand. 

Roughly half an hour later they saw Danny pull up outside and Lou scrawled on a post it note that she was over at Debbie’s, not that her mom would care anyway she just didn’t want to risk getting in trouble. They made it out to Danny’s car and when he asked them why they didn’t want to stay there, Lou’s eyes widened in fear and she slightly shook her head, telling Debbie not to say anything. So she didn’t. 

“We got bored,” Debbie said and Danny seemed to buy it, and turned his attention back to the road. 

After that night the two rarely talked about Lou’s mom, and spent every Friday night at Debbie’s house instead of alternating each week. At first Debbie’s parents asked questions as to why they weren’t going to Lou’s place anymore, but Debbie came up with a lie and Lou appreciated her not telling anyone what happened that night. The questions soon died down and it was routine for the girls to have a sleepover every Friday and Saturday now at the Ocean’s. 

The sleepovers continued even when they went into high school. Although now they didn’t just sit and eat junk food every weekend, they shared secrets and played silly games like never have I ever, sometimes with a little alcohol if nobody else was in the house; but that was very rare. There was one night where they drank a little too much though and started telling each other things they thought they would never say out loud. 

“Debbie can I ask you something?” Lou asked as they were both laid on Debbie’s bed, with their heads hanging over the edge. 

“You just did,” Debbie smirked, but when Lou didn’t laugh like she usually would she knew it was serious. Debbie sat up, and so did Lou, they were facing one another and to say Debbie was a little scared about what the blonde was about to say was an understatement. She was expecting it to be something about her mom hitting her again. 

“Have you ever had feelings for a girl?” Lou asked her voice sounding more vulnerable than ever, Debbie let out a breath that she didn’t even realise she was holding. 

“I don’t know I’ve never really thought about it, have you?” Debbie asked and Lou looked down at her hands in her lap. The blonde nodded her head a little her cheeks were slightly pink and her eyes were no longer bright like the lake near Debbie’s house. Instead they were more of a grey color and Debbie cursed herself for not noticing, her best friend is clearly going through a lot and she didn’t even realise. 

“Yeah, I think I’ve fallen in love with a girl,” Lou said her voice still small and vulnerable, not looking up from her lap once. Debbie leaned back onto the wall behind her not knowing what to say, like the night at Lou’s she had never been in this situation before; so how was she supposed to know what to say? Luckily Lou spoke up again. 

“I think I’m a lesbian, and I understand if you don’t wanna be friends anymore or if that weirds you out. I just feel like you should know because you’re my best friend and we tell each other everything.” Lou said, finally gaining the courage to look up and make eye contact with Debbie. 

“Exactly you’re my best friend, this doesn’t change anything Lou, I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Debbie said honestly and Lou burst into tears and threw her arms around Debbie. However, this hug felt different Lou felt different, she didn’t feel as tense anymore; it was like a huge weight was lifted off of her shoulders once she said the words out-loud. 

However the weight was soon piled back on a year later. Debbie got her first boyfriend Jamie Irving, he was one of the popular boys which shocked Lou at first but not really because it’s Debbie freaking Ocean we’re talking about, the most beautiful girl Lou knew; of course she could get the most popular boy in school. 

Debbie began spending more and more time with him so Lou felt the need to find a girl to do the same with and keep her heart from breaking because she knew Debbie would never feel the same way about her. She ended up making out with a senior called Beca Richardson in the back of the auditorium, it helped get her mind off of Debbie for a while. The two of them would meet up there every lunch time while Debbie was off with Jamie. 

One lunch time Lou was waiting for Beca but she never showed so she made her way towards the cafeteria to see where Debbie was. Everywhere she went she was met with dirty looks and people laughing, she finally found Debbie when the brunette slammed into her chest. She appeared to be in a hurry and her face had an angry frown on it, when she realised it was Lou she bumped into, she grabbed her hand and dragged her into the nearest empty classroom. 

“Can you please explain what’s going on?” Lou asked and Debbie’s face dropped because she thought Lou knew, she was trying to find the girl to see if she was okay. 

“You might wanna sit down,” Debbie said and Lou did as she was told and sat on one of the desks with her feet up on the chair in front of her. “Beca told one of her friends that you’re a lesbian and the bitch told everyone in the school.” 

Lou’s heart dropped, and it felt like the world stopped spinning for a second. She didn’t know how to react instead she grabbed her bag from the floor and practically ran out of the door. Debbie ran after her but Lou was much faster than her and the next time she saw the girl was a week later. She was on her doorstep with a large bag in her hand and her backpack on her back. 

“I didn’t know where else to go,” Lou said her voice small like the night she came out to Debbie. The brunette didn’t even need to ask she knew what happened, instead she moved aside and motioned for Lou to come in. She lead her up to her room and placed the bags on the floor. Lou sat in the middle of the bed in silence just staring at the wall. “I’m gonna go tell my parents you’re staying here for a while, I won’t tell them why don’t worry, it’s gonna be okay,” Debbie said hugging Lou tightly before leaving the room. 

Like Debbie had said everything was going to be alright, it was a year later and Lou was still living with the Ocean’s. It made it easier that Danny moved out before Lou moved in because she had his room, even though she spent most nights in Debbie’s bed because the two would stay up just talking and not realise the time. Lou had Debbie all to herself again too, because she broke up with Jamie when she found out that he helped spread that Lou is a lesbian. Lou became a part of the family and it turns out the Ocean’s didn’t care that Lou liked only girls, so it all worked out for her. 

When Lou and Debbie were in their last year of high school Danny got married to his high school sweetheart, Tess. Lou and Debbie were both bridesmaids, luckily Danny knew Lou well enough to know that she would never wear a dress so he convinced Tess to get her a suit in the same color if the dresses; which she did happily. 

The wedding was nice, but Debbie and Lou much preferred the after party because they could just go back to being in their own little world. They danced a lot and convinced Danny to buy them both alcohol, to which he happily obliged because he was slightly tipsy himself. Towards the end of the night, Lou and Debbie were both a little fuzzy from the alcohol and wandered outside and just laid on the grass looking up at the stars. 

“You look beautiful tonight,” Lou turned her head towards Debbie, and when Debbie turned to look at her with a smile on her face, she realised how close they were laid to one another. Lou quickly looked back up at the stars and tried to distract herself because she didn’t want to do anything she’d regret. 

“Yeah? Well you look even more beautiful, I don’t think you hear that enough, but you are you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met,” Debbie said not taking her eyes off of Lou once and Lou was thankful that it was dark because her cheeks had turned bright red. In that moment Debbie gained a lot of confidence thanks to the alcohol and sat up a little so she was leaning on her left arm. She gently grabbed Lou’s check to make her look at her. They stared at one another for what felt like eternity but it was only a few seconds and if anyone walked outside now they would be able to sense the sexual tension between them from a mile away. 

The two of them were staring into one another eyes and Debbie didn’t even realise but she was getting closer and closer to Lou and before she knew it, their lips were pressed together in a tender kiss. Lou was shocked at first but kissed her back almost immediately, it then turned into a make out session and Debbie moved so she was straddling Lou’s hips. 

They stayed like that until they both needed air. Debbie rolled off of Lou both of them panting, this time they were cuddled up to one another Debbie’s head was resting on Lou’s chest, while Lou had an arm wrapped around the brunette holding her as close as physically possible. 

“I’m so in love with you,” Lou said her accent seemed to be stronger than usual and it made Debbie smile, because Lou’s accent was her favourite sound. 

“I’m so in love with you too,” Debbie replied, both of them turned their attention back to the stars, each of them with matching smiles on their faces. 

That night was a night of many firsts for the pair, it was their first kiss, the first time they said they loved each other and the first time they had sex. It was clumsy and neither of them really knew what they were doing but they made each other feel good so they didn’t really care. But after that night the Ocean’s seemed to catch on that something was happening between them and they were thrilled for them; Danny especially. 

Once they finished high school they both decided that college wasn’t for them and instead they used the money that they had saved up over the years and bought a shitty little apartment, where the bedroom was literally in the kitchen, right in the middle of the city. They spent their days stealing from people and shops and at night they would rig bingo games. They weren’t getting loads of money but it was enough until they could move onto something bigger. 

Which they did, almost ten years later they robbed the Met, with a team put together by the two of them. It went off without a hitch and they had a ton of cash and some new friends. With their newfound wealth they decided that they could finally buy each other the engagement rings that they had promised each other years ago; shortly after they eloped. Neither of them cared about having a big fancy wedding instead they just wanted to make it legal so they got married in a courthouse. Debbie’s mom nearly had a heart attack when they told her the news. 

However they made up for it by giving her not one but two granddaughters. Debbie carried both children, Dani was born first and Danny was thrilled that his niece was named after him. Then a few years later Darcy was born, the two did everything together they were inseparable. Lou’s life was perfect and if someone would have told her when she was 13 that she would be married to her best friend and that they would have two beautiful children together, she would have laughed in their face. 

Life only seemed to get better as it went on, after the Met the women met up every Friday for dinner, it was like when Lou and Debbie were younger when they would have sleepovers every Friday. Although this was much better because Lou was genuinely happy now and Debbie could see it because her eyes were bright blue and shiny like they were the day they met. 

Her eyes only seemed to get shinier and more blue as time went on because life only seemed to get better. The Met heist meant that they wouldn’t have to work a day in their life and they wouldn’t need to steal from anywhere else, so they spent as much time raising their children and just being a normal family. Which is something that neither of them experienced when they were growing up because Debbie’s parents were constantly working and Lou’s parents weren’t there at all, she practically raised herself whereas Debbie at least had a nanny and her brother. 

They were able to watch their daughters grow into strong, intelligent women. They were there for all of the ups and downs, the first boyfriends and the arguments with friends, everything. On each of their wedding days Lou was an absolute mess she couldn’t stop crying, and she was even worse when their grandchildren were born. 

However, they had been so focused on their daughters growing up, all of a sudden Lou and Debbie are in their 80s and spend most of their time in the doctors office. There’s one time when they’re there longer than usual and Lou’s whole world crumbles when they find out that Debbie has breast cancer. Lou sits there in silence, everything feels like it’s moving in slow motion, and she tries to keep herself together for Debbie’s sake but when the doctor says there’s nothing they can do, the dam breaks and tears are pouring out of Lou’s eyes. Debbie immediately wraps her arms around her wife to try and comfort her but it doesn’t work the tears don’t stop. 

And it’s only down hill from there they do things that Debbie has always wanted to do, and when they arrive back home after travelling Europe for a month Debbie passes away in her sleep. 

Lou doesn’t move from their bed for weeks, she doesn’t know what to do with herself, she’s had Debbie by her side almost all of her life. All she wants to do is talk to the brunette about it but she can’t. Dani and Darcy try their best to help their mother but nothing will work and before they know it, it’s time for the funeral. 

“Are you ready to go mom?” Darcy asks and Lou nods her head slightly and they make their way to where Debbie is getting buried. Once it’s all over Lou has to go through the torture of everyone hugging her and saying how sorry they are for her loss. Everyone is gone and Lou is stood staring at the headstone, Dani comes up behind her and places her hand on her mother’s shoulder, Lou immediately tenses up at the unexpected contact. She turns to see her daughters stood with sympathetic looks on their faces and she breaks down again. They stand their hugging one another for about ten minutes until Lou pulls away. 

“Can I borrow your keys? I’ll be right back I just wanna go somewhere,” Lou asks pointing to the car keys in Darcy’s hand, the brunette nods and hands them over. She quickly makes her way to the car and hears the two of them telling her to be careful. 

She drives for about fifteen minutes until she finds herself at the park where she and Debbie first met. It hasn’t changed much the equipment has just been updated to make it safer. She makes her way over to the swings in the corner of the playground, luckily it had been raining most of the day so it was completely empty. She finally reached the swings and sat on the one she was on all those years ago and just stared in front of her, trying to imagine Debbie stood there with her tight lipped smile on her face. The face appeared and Lou broke down into tears again, this time she made no effort to get them to stop because Debbie was the only one who could stop them and she wasn’t here to do that. She thought back to their very first conversation and mumbled, “I’m alone again.”


End file.
